Small sailing craft or sailboats heretofore have been equipped with rudders for controlling the direction in which the sailboat travels upon the water. In many of these sailboats a rudder located near the aft end of the sailboat's hull is controlled by a tiller extending forwardly from the rudder. The sailor usually sits on the hull forwardly of the tiller reaching back to hold the tiller with one hand while the other hand of the sailor holds a sheet line to control the set of the sail. Sailboats of this type are relatively easy to sail.
Other sailboats are designed for riding in surfboard fashion. In these sailboats, also known as windsurfers, a mast-boom-sail assembly enables steering of the sailboat without using a steerable rudder. The mast is coupled to a surfboard-like hull by a universal joint so that the mast can be tilted from vertical by a standing rider while the mast-boom-sail assembly is pivoted around the universal joint. The combined mast tilting, boom swinging and movement of the rider's body weight on the board can be used to turn the board.
Windsurfers add a high degree of excitement and enjoyment to sailing. This in part is attributed to the rider standing on the board and being able to move while standing from side-to-side to provide appropriate weight shifting. Unfortunately, a high level of skill is required to coordinate the tricky task of erecting the mast-boom-sail assembly and to maintain the assembly in a substantially vertical position while the wind force tends to knock the assembly down. Moreover, even a highly skilled user may expend considerable effort to control the mast-boom-sail assembly while trying to balance himself or herself on the board.
Another type of small sailboat where the user stands on the hull of the craft is disclosed in Rineman U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,090. Rineman '090 discloses a sailboat having a main hull, an outboard pontoon and a platform section between the main hull and outboard pontoon. A mast is positioned substantially medially and to one side of the main hull, and the main hull has rudders at each end which are controlled by a steering mechanism manually operated by the sailor normally standing on the web and platform section. The steering mechanism includes a steering lever that may be swung upwardly and downwardly to enable the sailor to brace and balance himself or herself upon the platform. For rudder control, the steering lever functions like a tiller, i.e., the steering lever is swung horizontally to turn the rudders.
A similar small sailboat may be found in Rineman U.S. Pat. No. 4,054,100. Like Rineman '090, Rineman '100 discloses a sailboat having rudders positioned near the fore and aft ends of the sailboat and steering is effected in the Rineman '100 sailboat by lateral movement of the steering lever. In both the Rineman '090 sailboat and the Rineman '100 sailboat the sterring lever is mounted at a single position along the deck of the hull.